Suspenders



July 19, 1938. E. BAER 2,123,984

sUs'PENDERs l Filed July 17, 1937 JNI/ENTOR.

aw/f vice ZT .Ede/4 A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 19, 1938 UNITED STATES SUSPENDERS Lawrence E. Baer, Attleboro, Mass., assigner to Swank Products, Inc., a corporation of Dela- Walle Application July 17, 1937, Serial No. 154,233

. 1 Claim.

This invention relates to Suspenders or braces for supporting mens trousers; and the invention has for one of its objects the provision of suspenders which will be so connected in the back that they may lie flat and yet will be permitted a movement one with relation to the other.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a connection for adjusting the relative position of the straps which comprise the Suspenders te accommodate the straps to different positions of the wearer, for more comfort to the wearer and less strain upon the straps than would otherwise be provided.

With these ,and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of the back of the suspender straps incorporating the invention and shown as applied to a person indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental view of the connection at the back of the straps showing my invention therein;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing a different position of adjustment whereby one of the straps is raised with reference to the other and the different positions of the straps on the connection;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the connecting member;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the parts of the connecting member;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View showing the connection of one of the straps to one of the loop members.

In the use of Suspenders it is desirable that the straps extend over the shoulders and connect to the back of the trousers by some arrangement to prevent them from spreading .and at the same time permit a maximum amount of relative movement for comfort in wearing and for the preventing of unnecessary strains upon the straps; and in order to accomplish this object l have provided a pair of relatively rigid members preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing, I designates one shoulder strap and II the other shoulder strap, each of which is provided with some means to connect the front of the strap to the trousers, such means being of a common form and thought unnecessary to illustrate herein. Back straps I2 and I3 are connected to the back of the trousers i4 by any convenient means such for instance as by the tabs I connected through buckles I6 to the back straps I 2 and I3.

In order to connect the shoulder and back straps Il! and I2 on one side and the shoulder back straps Il and I3 Von the other side and yet prevent the straps on one side from spreading with reference to the straps on the other side, I have provided a pair of loop members I8 and I9 which are preferably formed of some stiif or rigid material such for instance as metal, although some other stiff .and rigid material such as fiber may be employed. These loops are each provided with an ear or projection 20, which ears overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 4, while a pivot pin 2| extends through the openings 22 in each of these ears to pivotally secure the loop members I8 and I9 together.

The lower end of the strap I0 and the upper end of the back strap I2 are slidably connected to the loop or ring I8 by means of tabs 23 and 24 each of which consists oi a piece of leather passed through the ring i8 and folded upon itself at the narrow bight portion with one ply extending along one face of the strap and the other ply extend` ing along the other face of the strap withA stitchings 25 sewing the two plies 26 and 2l of the tab together and also at the same time attaching the tab to the strap Ill or I2, as the case may be. Tabs 2S and 29 upon the straps II and I3 are of a similar shape and similarly attached to these straps as are the tabs 23 and 24 to the straps I and I2.

Each of these tabs may slide freely around its ring or loop member and the ring members being pivoted one with relation to the other may rock as one shoulder is raised and the other lowered so that the relative position oi the straps may be either the normal arrangement as shown in Fig. 2 or the arrangement such as shown in Fig, 3 where the parts have changed their relative position both by the tab sliding around the rings and the straps it and ll on one side being raised or relatively higher than the `straps II and I3 on the other side. By this arrangement the parts are Well supported and a maximum amount of flexibility and relative change of position may be had a-nd yet the arrangement is simple with the parts easily formed and easily adjusted and arranged.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claim.

I claim:

Suspenders comprising a pair of shoulder straps having front ends provided with trouser engaging means, a pair of back straps provided at their lower ends with trouser engaging means, a pair of rigid metal rings, the back end of one shoulder strap and the upper end of one back strap being 5 slidably connected to one ring, and the back end of the other shoulder strap and the upper end of the other back strap being slidably connected to the other ring, lateral extensions on each ring overlapping, and a pivot pin extending through 10 said extensions.

LAWRENCE E. BAER. 

